H-L class exhibit bridges creativity and scholarship
October 17, 2025

An exhibit party took place on October 7 to celebrate the work of the spring 2025 cohort of the Black Biography course. The class, taught by Professor of Africana Studies and English Tess Chakkalakal, introduced students to the genre of Black biographies by examining the stories of historic African American figures.
The exhibit displays the work of three students—Janyah Bradley ’28, Katie Tran ’27 and Rebeca Manzo ’27—in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library (H-L) and shows their own creative takes in conversation with the genre as well as the behind-the-scenes work that went into their individual works.
Toward the end of the previous semester, students in the Black Biography course visited the Special Collections Learning Lab to interact with historical documents. Chakkalakal reflected on how this approach connected the classroom objectives of the course with students’ hands-on research.
“I hoped that students would see that they can tell their own stories based on what they find in the archives rather than relying on critical interpretations of this material,” Chakkalakal said.
One project on display was Bradley’s graduation cap for John Brown Russwurm, Bowdoin’s first Black graduate.
On top of the cap is a correspondence of Russworm sealed with wax, a silhouette of the alumnus and a list of other notable Black graduates who created change similar to that of Russworm. The red, white and blue tassel represents Liberia, where Russwurm became a prominent political leader, and the interior of the cap is lined with newspaper because Russwurm cofounded the Freedom Journal, the first American newspaper owned and operated by African Americans.
Another project was Tran’s artist book on Luke Nicklson, a free Black man who lived in Harpswell and bought vast quantities of fish in the late 18th century.
“I was intrigued by the mystery of [Nicklson’s] purchases,” Tran explained. “[I] knew I wanted to create an artist book that reflected these ideas of fish and consumption.”
These ideas were represented by Tran’s imaginative work, which inscribed the information known about Nicklson onto pages made from butcher and parchment paper. The cover design was made from an inked, crocheted fishnet.
Each of the students’ works were showcased with the help of Special Collections Education and Engagement Librarian Marieke Van Der Steenhoven. She took the lead role in setting up the Black Biography Exhibit and explained what she hopes visitors will take away from the exhibit.
“The exhibit is comprised of three creative projects and the archival source material that inspired them,” Van Der Steenhoven said. “My hope is that folks will explore this exhibit and see a path into [Special Collections and Archives] for themselves. There are infinite possibilities for making sense of historical sources, and the work of [Bradley, Tran and Manzo] are all such inspiring examples of that.”
To close the ceremony, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History Brian Purnell gave a toast to the library staff, for both helping with the creation of the projects and the organization of the exhibit, and to the students for making their pieces.
“It takes courage, and we are all the better for it,” Purnell said.
The exhibit will be featured on the third floor of the H-L until the end of November.
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